A judge on Wednesday declared a mistrial in the wrongful death suit brought against Suge Knight in connection to the death of Terry Carter, whom the Death Row Records founder struck with his truck in 2015.
via: Revolt
The Death Row Records founder was named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2015 in connection to the death of Terry Carter, a man he ran over and killed following a dispute during the filming of Straight Out of Compton.
Deliberations in the case began a week ago, but by Wednesday (June 22) jurors found themselves deadlocked in a 7-5 vote; the majority sided with the plaintiff, Carter’s widow, Lillian Carter, who sought to have Knight found guilty of negligence in the fatal incident. The suit also lists Universal Studios, the film’s distributor, producers Ice Cube and Dr Dre and others.
“It’s unfortunate, but the jury worked very hard,” Carter’s daughters Crystal and Nekaya told Rolling Stone after the mistrial was declared. “It feels good to know we were the majority.”
Lance Behringer, the Carter family’s lawyer, said he intends to seek a new trial date following a hearing next month. “We’re not deterred at all, and now we’re in a much better space to try this cast again,” Behringer said of seeking justice. “Knight never sat for a deposition. There was no written discovery. When he testified for the first time during the trial, we had to respond on the spot. Now we have time to go through it. We know what their defense is for the first time.”
While the movie, which details the rise and subsequent breakup of the rap group N.W.A., was being filmed, Knight took issue with his portrayal. Actor and consultant on the film Cle “Bone” Sloan was involved in an altercation with a disgruntled Knight in the parking lot of Tam’s Burgers in Compton when Carter was struck. Court documents state Knight was driving a pickup truck used to hit Sloan, causing injuries to the actor’s legs and head, and then Carter before finally fleeing the scene.
Knight is currently serving a 28 year sentence after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter. As previously reported by REVOLT, Knight’s former attorney Matthew Fletcher admitted to attempts to bribe witnesses while representing the former music executive during the 2015 murder trial.
